Ryan Miller made 34 saves on 36 shots and for the second game in a row (both wins), his teammates gave him a four goal cushion to work with. Marcus Foligno and Brian Flynn manufactured a goal and an assist apiece. Drew Stafford and Tyler Myers also lit the lamp. The Sabres beat the #2 seeded team in the East. Nice win. The Sabres have now won two games in a row by 4-2 scores.
Lake Effect offense, eh?
Despite a soft second period where the Bruins dominated in offensive zone-time, and Brad Marchand scored two goals 1:14 apart to give the Bruins the lead, The Sabres clawed back into the game in the third period with money goals from Drew Stafford and Tyler. It was a gritty, character win for Buffalo. Marcus Foligno got the better Matt Fraser, then scored a goal off his gut, then assisted on Tyler Myers’ goal. Gordie Howe hatty for Marcus.
Foligno is playing with a ton of confidence and poise right now. He’s beginning to look like his old self. Foligno, like Stafford, Myers, Flynn, Ennis and most of the Sabres are taking Ted Nolan’s coaching to heart.
"We've been coming together," Foligno said. "Goals have been coming together. If we're putting the work in, points will start happening. That's what guys are believing in. That's the system here, and everyone's on board."
Foligno still considers himself a young player trying to make a name for himself in the NHL. His early season struggles are in his rear view mirror right now.
"It just starts with hard work," Foligno said in the winner’s locker room. "That's what this team needs from me. It was good to get going in the first (fisticuffs), and obviously with the two points (goal and assist) to help contribute offensively is good too."
Marcus will take a goal any way he can get one. Forget about style points. He wants to turn the red light one and hear 18,000+ Sabres fans scream at the tops of their lungs.
"I'll take anything off the stomach in," Foligno said. "That's for sure. They don't ask how, they ask how many. It's good just to go to the net and be rewarded."
**
Sabres center Cody Hodgson will miss "some time" after he was forced to leave the game in the first period with an upper-body injury (wrist).
More will be known about the extent of his injury today.
**
I found it very surprising that in his post game media scrum that Brad Marchand said that he hadn’t heard one iota of the news about what his GM Peter Chiarelli said about him earlier in the day until his post game media session.Chiarelli had a heart to heart with Marchand on Wednesday about his one ice antics that transpired in Vancouver last Saturday night when the agitator dedicated a kiss of his 2011 Stanley Cup ring finger to Canuck Henrik Sedin. Marchand also improvised the hosing of the Stanley Cup in and taunted the Boston bench in a game that his team eventually lost 6-2 to Vancouver. Chiarelli and Bruins head coach Claude Julien were none to pleased by Marchand’s act. The GM told him about it Wednesday.
Chiarelli told media on Thursday afternoon:
“Let me be clear on Marchy...I'm not trading Marchy, he's a good player, I like the way he plays,” said Chiarelli to reporters in Buffalo. “He’s finding his way. He's skating better, driving deeper and making plays.
“[Marchand will] figure it out; when one guy struggles, the other guys [on his line] unfortunately piggy-back on those struggles.”
Marchand:
“No. I never heard about that”.
Seriously, Marchy?
**
Sabres-Bruins Saturday night.
More to come…
_______________________________________________________________________
In case you were at the mall Christmas shopping and missed the news...
A month ago, Pat LaFontaine hired Kevin Prendergrast to work in the Buffalo front office. Prendergast worked for 20 years in the Edmonton Oilers organization.
I'm guessing Kevin Prendergast gave LaFontaine intel on Linus Omark, having drafted the kid while in The City Of Champions.
Prendergast joined the Buffalo Sabres on November 27, 2013. Prendergast works with and assist Sabres assistant general manager Kevin Devine as both a pro and amateur scout.
Prendergast most recently served as the head scout for Hockey Canada’s men’s Program of Excellence, where he was responsible for all player evaluation and recruitment for Canada’s National Junior and Under-18 development and selection camps, as well as for evaluations with the Under-17 program.
Prior to his stint with Hockey Canada, Prendergast worked for 20 seasons in the Edmonton Oilers organization, joining the club in 1990-91 as its vice president of hockey operations and eventually taking on the title of assistant general manager in 2006-07. As part of his duties with the Oilers, Prendergast oversaw the Oilers’ pro and amateur scouting staffs, coordinating coverage of the NHL, AHL and ECHL as well as the major junior teams of the Canadian Hockey League, the U.S. collegiate and high school ranks and the European leagues. He also was the Oilers’ representative on the American Hockey League’s board of governors and serves as the director of player personnel for both the Springfield Falcons (AHL) and Stockton Thunder (ECHL).
What trade freeze? Pat LaFontaine has his dealin' shoes on.
Omark has 14 goals and 15 assists in AHL Oklahoma City this season. 29 points in 29 games. Nice.
Omark (2/5/87, 5'10", 187 lbs) joins the Sabres after spending the last three seasons in the Oilers organization, where he has played in 66 NHL games, tallying 30 points (8+22). In 2013-14. He is currently tied for fourth-most points in the AHL.
Drafted by the Oilers in the fourth round (97th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Omark signed a one-year contract with the club in August 2013.
Omark had asked the Oilers to trade him.
I like the trade. Omark is not a kid. He's a 26 year old man who had been buried in the minors for three years. He's skilled, slick and worthy of an opportunity to play in Buffalo.
Look at these sick, silky mitts on Omark!!
The kid's hands are made of Victoria's Secret silk!
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